As always, if you can think of others on you’d add to the list, please add them in the comments. I could use some good shows to watch over the summer.
10. M*A*S*H: I totally wanted to live in that tent with Hawkeye and Trapper. No, I wouldn’t have been Frank Burns. (True story: The real life Gooby, who is a character in my two novels, used to have a picture autographed by Larry Linville, the actor that played Frank Burns)
9. Cheers: Every episode Norm had something funny to say when they greeted him as he entered the bar. My favorite? ‘It’s a dog eat dog world and I’m wearing Milk Bone underpants.”
8. Friends: Definitely much better in the early years than the later ones, but a great portrayal of those fun years in your twenties when you’re figuring out how to be an adult and failing badly at it sometimes. And who didn’t sing Phoebe’s Smelly Cat song for a while after that episode?
7. How I Met Your Mother: Ok, I’m going to be that hipster doofus who likes to say ‘I knew about this before everyone else thought it was cool.’ I was on this show from the beginning and the Slap Bet and Robin Sparkles episodes were the best.
6. Family Guy: If this was a show with real actors and actresses none of the jokes would be allowed on the air. Seth McFarlane is an evil genius. Not a great awards show host, but an evil genius nonetheless.
5. The I.T. Crowd: Most of my American friends won’t have heard of this British sitcom. Do yourself a favor and look it up on Netflix.
4. Seinfeld: Only one other show, The Office, has as many quotable lines as Seinfeld. (True story, I had a conversation with someone that was in the last two episodes.)
3. Psych: A hilarious hour long comedy/suspense show that didn’t get the acclaim it deserved because it was on the little watched USA network. You’d be hard pressed to find a show with more sly pop culture references. This is another one where you can thoroughly enjoy a full weekend of binge watching the 8 seasons on Netflix.
2. The Office: I’m referring to the American version here. I haven’t watched enough of the original British version to render judgement. One of the best ensemble cast comedies ever. Great last two episodes.
1. Saturday Night Live: They recently celebrated their 40th anniversary. This show and the always changing cast have given us some of the most memorable live moments on TV.
Honorable Mention: The Kids in The Hall and Whose Line Is It Anyway? It’s hard to beat good sketch and improv comedy.
Well, how did I do? What shows would you add? If you did, what shows would you take off my list?
Have a great Tuesday! ~Phil
Like your list. I have to check into a few I haven’t seen. Others: Strangers With Candy is hilarious! One of my all time (but little known) favorites. Worth mentioning is Drunk History. So cleaver!
I haven’t seen Strangers with Candy. I’ll have to check that one out. I do watch Drunk History.
‘Men at Work’ has me laughing out loud!
OK, I’ll have to check it out.
I definitely wouldn’t have given “Whose Line” an honorable mention. They deserve to be in the Top 10. Come on!! All in the Family, too. While not really meant to be a comedy, waiting for whatever came out of Archie & Edith’s mouths was worth the wait!!
All in The Family is a classic. I think a lot of today’s shows draw a lot from that show.
You did well. I might have added Two and 1/2 men (the early years)
I’m not a huge 2 1/2 Men fan. They always went for the cheap, easy laugh too often and too predictably.
I have to say you are right but after a hard day cheap and easy is sometimes the goal.
I’m really picky when I choose my sitcoms. If I can do think of the next line before they say it then its no fun for me.
Love this idea. Here’s my list:
!0. Dead Like Me
9. The Muppet Show
8. How I Met Your Mother
7. Designing Women
6. M*A*S*H
5. Keen Eddie
4. Frazier
3. Psych
2. Friends
1. The Big Bang Theory
I don’t know Dead Like Me or Keen Eddie. I’ll have to check them out. Thanks! On your list you did pick one of my least favorite shows ever.
And that show would be…?
I also did give Big Bang consideration. That probably should be in my honorable mention section.
Designing Women. Ugh. I’m not sure what to think of you now that you put that in your top ten funniest shows.
We all can’t be perfect in your eyes. I’m sorry if my sense of humor has failed you on this count. Mea culpa.
Please don’t take offense. I was teasing. I’m pretty sure I’ve loved shows you would have changed the channel on before the first commercial break.
No offense taken, I can assure you. I was joking around… something that seems to get me into trouble much too often. 😉
Me too. Unfortunately just like in real life sometimes it’s hard to to tell without facial expressions or tone of voice.
Is “I Love Lucy” too dated?
Nope. There’s no time limit. Good comedy is good comedy anytime. Someone else suggested All in The Family
Yep Phil this list’s pretty complete
I’d say it was no easy feat
If you’ll take input from me
Taxi, All In the Family.
Taxi! That was a great one! That’s the tough thing about limiting my lists to ten. There’s always good ones that get left out.
Yeah, probably tons I haven’t even thought of!!
Up against
Friends
How I Met Your Mother
Sienfeld
The Office
I’d put
In Living Color
Mad TV
Keen Eddie (Good catch, there, Ally Bean!)
Reaper
(I despise Family Guy, which is too bad for me, because I think a lot of the humor is fantastic, but I just can’t take the hideous, hideous aesthetics–too d#mned ugly to look at the thing or listen to the voices. Almost physically painful.)
Last, I know Key and Peele haven’t been on that long, and the second season is weaker, but still, even if you count the stuff packed into the first season, that’s three season’s worth of another show.
Oh yeah! Reaper was great! I have the DVDs. I don’t know Up Against. I’ll have to check out Keen Eddie since now two people have mentioned it.
That “Up against” should have had a colon after it. Also, I think my earlier comment sounds snottily opinionated. Sorry about that.
Ooh! Ooh! (waving hand madly for attention) What about that fantastic Wonderfalls!!!?
I’ve never seen it! Awesome, another good one to check out.
🙂
Sports Night!! Very funny. Quick dialogue.
I just saw this. I loved Sports Night. I was so disappointed when it was cancelled.
Yup.
Whose Line and Psych…definitely in there! Might have to add Big Bang Theory.
Yes, Big Bang was very close to making my top ten.
The I.T. Crowd is the best!! Man, I love that show. Have you heard of/watched Fawlty Towers or The Mighty Boosh? They’re British shows as well. That first one, particularly, I think you’d like.
I’ve heard of Fawlty Towers but never watched it. I’ve never heard of The Mighty Boosh. I’ll have to look them up!
You’ve NEVER seen FAWLTY TOWERS!!!!
You must do this immediately. Forgo eating and sleeping.
I’ve heard good things about it and I do love my British shows, but there’s just so much TV out there. I do have to set aside some time to write this blog too!
My list would have half of yours, almost in reverse order 🙂
Well then you’ve got good taste. What else would be on your list?
Frasier, Will & Grace, The Big Bang Theory, Murphy Brown, Wings
Those are all good. I used to love Wings!
I love the I.T. Crowd, and I would also like to add Firefly into the consideration… but M*A*S*H is one of my favourite ever TV series’. I have the entire box set, and there is genuinely nothing it does wrong. The mark – to my mind at least – of any good comedy series, is when it can make you laugh your arse off, then flip a coin and rip your heart out. Roseanne was good for that in early seasons too.
I’ll have to look up Firefly. I’ve never seen it. If I don’t laugh my ass of I will hold you personally responsible.
If you like Joss Whedon, you will like Firefly. It is a beautifully casted, written, and acted series. It captured my heart and that of many many people. If I could live in an alternative reality, it would be that of the Firefly universe. It’s short too – because Fox are dicks. I sincerely hope you enjoy it 🙂
At this very moment In watching the first episode.
I’m ten minutes into episode 1 and I can tell that the blonde pilot guy is going to get killed at some point this season.
And who doesn’t love Ron Glass?
You’re right. Good cast.
I’m about 50 minutes in. Why do they occasionally speak in Chinese?
The idea is that the story is set in a future where China and America were the two global superpowers industrially, and the two cultures ended out having equally mixed influence. You see it in a lot of clothing design and other little touches throughout the series 🙂
That makes a sense and could actually happen.
That’s one of my favourite things about Joss Whedon – he creates such plausible realities… Did you ever watch Dollhouse?
Not yet…
I can recommend that as well 🙂
Great choices. Cheers never gots old and I think I know every line in every episode of Friends by now.
Sounds like we have very similar, and brilliant, taste in television.
Have you watched new shows such as The Middle, The Goldbergs and Bobs Burgers?
Of course! My favorite of those is The Goldbergs.
It’s fab! I’ve been sucked into American Horror Story just now – a bit different I know
I haven’t watched that yet, but I plan to.
Hey Steve, going back to when you were a wee lad, or later in re-runs, did you ever watch The Brady Bunch? If so, you’ll like my surprise interview guest for this Friday.
Oooo exciting. Although I’ve never really followed it…
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I’ve never gotten into the Family Guy so I’d remove that from the list and add Frazier which is still watch on Netflix and laugh at the same jokes over and over. I’ve got to check out Psych and the IT Crowd. Current comedies I don’t miss are The Big Bang Theory and Mom.Watching Offspring right now – an Aussie comedy – and it is really good.
Yes, Frazier was a good one. I’ve never watched Offspring, so I’ll have to check that out.
YES to the I.T Crowd so glad you have this here. And YES YES YES to the American Office (as its known over here)- it was just SO bloody good. And also your honorable mention of Whose Line is it Anyway? I adored the American version of that. Oh being 41yrs old- of course I also have a soft spot for Friends.
My wife and I absolutely love the IT Crowd, we have probably seen every episode at least three times and I still laugh out loud somewhere in every episode.
It’s so good. So delightfully silly.
Will and Grace! And it’s returning to cable
September 28th! I’m so pumped!!
And yes, maybe Saturday night live would make the cut if it were the one with will Farrel and The lady doing the cheerleader skit. Forget the name, but late 90’s snl was better than the progressive bs that’s on now. Im sure it was even better in the late 70’s before I was born. Oh wait, it’s molly Shannon. (Cheer skit). That’s her name. My opinion. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😆😆👍🏼👍🏼
I’m looking forward to that to. That should be a fun show